Railroad-switch



No. 607,9l7. Pa'te'nted 1u|y 26, uses.

E. w. cnusHLlN. RAILROAD SWITGH.

(Appncaeion' med Nov. 18, 1897.1 A (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Patented July 26, |898.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

jfl/torna# i 1 k, if

jizz/refait E. W. CDUGHLIN. RAILROAD SWITCH.

(Application 'med Nav. 1e, 1897.)

(No Model.)

lINiTEn STATES PATENT EETCE.

EDIVARD W. COUGHLIN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,917, dated uly 26, 1898.

Application flied November 18, 1897. Serial No. 658.949. (No model.) i v To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, En WARD W. COUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Switches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction.

The present invention is designed as an improvement on that described in United States Letters Patent No. 520,302, granted to me under date of May 22, 1894, and its primary object is to provide a frog adapted for switching across an unbroken main-line rail.

The characteristic features of the invention will be fully described hereinafter, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved frog in connection with one rail of the main line and the sections of a stockrail. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the base-section of the frog. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of said base-section. Figs. 4. and 5 are respectively a plan and a side elevation of the swing-section of the frog. Figs. 6, 7, and S are respectively transverse sections on the lines 6 6, 7 7, and 3 8 of Fig. 1.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the numeral 1 indicates the base-plate of the frog, which is located below and extends beyond the main-line rail A, (at either side of the latten) the ties being recessed to permit the upper face of the base-plate to rest in plane with the under face of the base of the main-line rail. Secured to one end of the base-plate 1 is a clamp 2, adapted to embrace the adjacent end of the stock-rail B.

f1 indicates a bracket or hingeplate securely riveted to the base-plate 1 and projecting laterally therefrom and formed with a boss 5. This plate 4: is also provided with a hook G, which extends upwardly to engage the flange of the swingsection of the frog when the latter is in the position shown in Fig. 1. The hinge-plate 4 is also provided with an extension 7 provided with oppositely-disposed hooks S, which engage the flange of the rail B. The extension 7 is cut away or beveled at the points 9 to prevent any accumulation of dirt at these points from clogging the pivotal movement of the swing-section.

10 designates a raising-plate secured to the plate 1 and adapted to support the swing-sectionwhenthe latter is in use, and 1l is a second raising-plate secured to the plate l and extending laterally7 beyond said plate 1 sufficiently to support the swing-section in either of its positions. This raising-plate 11 is ofvL shape approximately and its inner edge 12 is preferably undercut or beveled to permit it to overlap the flange of the mainline rail A, thus preventing any vertical separation of said rail and the base-plate, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

13 designates a seat secured to the baseplate and serving to support the tongue of the swing-section, as will be further explained hereinafter. This seat in cross-section approximates the form of a T-rail to facilitate its attachment to the adjacent stock-rail B by means of fish-plates 14, as shown in Fig. 3. The seat 13 supports the end of the rail B and is provided with inwardlyextending hooks 15 and 16, which engage the flange of the rail B and finally hold the rail against both vertical and lateral displacement. The end of the seat 13 is preferably beveled to t the correspondingly-beveled end of the rail B, and thus form a miter-joint. This form of joint avoids the pounding incident to use of rail-sections having straight abutting ends. A rib 17 projects laterally from the seat to enter the hollow of the rail A and prevent vertical separation of the rail and baseplate.

The swing-section of the frog (best shown in Figs. 4 and 5) is preferably constructed from a section of Trail and comprises a body portion 1S and a tongue 19. The tongue is formed bysevering the web and flange of the rail-section from the head thereoffor a portion of its length. This severing cut is pref-` erably made slightly inclined, so as to graduate the thickness of the tongue, the thinnest portion being at the end which overlaps the main-line rail A. The cut which severs the web and head of the rail-section to form the tongue 19 is continued beyond the point of severance, as indicated at 2O on the line of IOO the under surface of the tongue, and terminates in a downward semicircular cut 2l and a circular opening 22. The portion 23 of .the web and flange thus separated from the head is then bent outwardly, as shown in Fig. 4t, to constitute an inclined stop to limit the lateral movement of the tongue. This outwardlyturned stop 23 is provided with a U-shaped fillet 24, which fits over the web portion thereof and is securely bolted thereto, as shown in Fig. 6. This fillet, as shown in Fig. 6, serves to support the tongue on the tread or gage side of the main rail over that portion of the web and flange which is bent outwardly to form the stop. The fillet 24 is provided on one side with a lateral projection or rib 25, which enters the hollow of the main rail A to prevent vertical movement of the swing-section when in use. Upon the opposite side of the fillet is secured a bracket 26 for the attachment of a rod for operating the swing-section. The inner flange of the swingsection is cut away or beveled at the point 27 to permit the swing-section to lie close against the main rail A. A hinge-plate 28 is firmly secured to the end of the swing-section, said plate having a bolt-hole 29 to receive the pivot-bolt 30, which also extends through a similar bolt-hole formed in the hinge-plate t of the base-section of the frog and is secured by a nut 3l. y

The under surface of the hinge-plate 28 is countersunk around the bolt-hole 29 to receive the boss 5 of the hinge-plate 4. This manner of connecting the two hinge-plates relieves the pivot-bolt 30 of lateral strain.

The swing-section is provided with a clamp 32, (see Fig. 7,) which is securely fastened to the web of the body portion of the section and is of hook or yoke form to extend around and beneath the base-plate l to firmly hold the swing-section in place while in use.

The swing-section is pivotally secured to the base-section, and from the construction above described, and illustrated in the drawings, it will be apparent that where the swingsection is in position overlapping the main rail Athe tongue 19 is not only amply supported at its free end, but is braced both vertically and laterally, avoiding undue strains and wear on the parts and affording an effective means for switching over the continuous unbroken main-line rail.

I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details of' construction shown in the accompanying drawings, but reserve the right to make all such alterations and modifications as may fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A railway-frog comprising a base-section, and a swing-section, the base-section consisting of' a base-plate, a seat for supporting the tongue of the switch-section, a hingeplate, and a raising-plate and the swing-section consisting of a body portion pivotally secured to the base-section, a tongue adapted to overlap the main rail, and an inclined reinforced stop.

2. The combination with the base-plate provided with a seat, of a swing-section pivotally secured to the base-plate, and comprising a body portion, a tongue, an inclined stop formed by slitting and bending a portion of said body portion, and a fillet for reinforcing said stop.

3. The combination with the base-plate, and its seat and raising plates, of a hingeplate projecting beyond the base-plate at one side and provided at its opposite side with a hook and a swing-section comprising a body portion pivotally secured to said hinge-plate, aton gue adapted to overlap the main rail, and an inclined stop.

4. The combination with the base-section of a swing-section pivotally secured thereto and comprising a body portion, a tongue, an inclined stop, a fillet for said stop, and a clamp adapted to extend under the base-section.

5. A swing-section for a railway-frog comprising a T-rail having a portion of its web and iiange removed to form a tongue, and longitudinally slitted and bent to form an inclined stop, and having a portion of one of its flanges longitudinally inclined.

6. A swing-section for a railway-frog comprising a T-rail having a portion of its web and iiange removed to form a tongue, and longitudinally slitted and bent to form an inclined stop, and having a portion of one of its flanges longitudinally inclined in combination with a fillet secured to said stop to support the tongue, and a hinge-plate secured to the web of the rail.

7. A swing-section for a railway-frog comprising a T-rail having a portion of its web and flange removed to form a tongue, and longitudinally slitted and bent to form aninclined stop, and having a portion of one of its flanges longitudinally inclined in combination with a fillet secured to said stop, and provided with a rib or lateral projection, a clamp secured to the web of the rail, and a bracket or hinge-plate secured to the web and countersunk on its under side.

8. The combination with the base-section, and swing-section pivotally secured together, of a seat arranged in the base-section and provided with a rib to engage the main rail, a raising-plate undercut at its inner edge to overlap the main rail, a hinge-plate secured to the base-section and provided wit-h a hook to en gage the swing-section, and provided with an oppositely-beveled extension having hooks to engage the adjacent rail end.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD W. COUGHLIN.

Witnesses:

F. O. MGCLEARY, S. G. HOPKINS.

IOO

IIO 

